west indian day parade brooklyn
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Can Brooklyn, NY’s J’Ouvert Retain Its Traditional Spirit Under a New Security Crackdown?
In 1881, British colonial authorities in Trinidad attempted to suppress the Canboulay, a predawn ritual with drumming, horns, dancing and torchlit parades commemorating the end of the sugarcane harvest. When police showed up to stop the procession, revelers fought back and won the right to parade. The so-called Canboulay riots are now commemorated annually during…